1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electronic music center for producing custom audio magnetic tapes. In particular, the present invention is directed to an automated electronic music center that allows a user to produce a custom audio tape at high speed consisting of selections he chooses from a prerecorded selection library.
In general, the present invention relates to a machine that allows a user to select a number of randomly chosen audio selections from a music library containing a multiplicity of selections and to duplicate these selections at high speed on blank magnetic recording tape in the order chosen by the user.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
The audio magnetic tape recording industry is a mature and well-developed industry that spawned a great number of technological innovations. Apparatus with remarkable capabilities have been developed in the art. For example, a combination audio and video player is now available commercially from Pioneer Corporation. Cassette duplicating machines are also well known in the prior art.
In addition, many different techniques and apparatus for recording audio sound on magnetic tape are well known in the prior art.
These and other innovations have made a plethora of audio entertainment readily available to individual users, in a variety or formats, which include, for example, phonograph records, reel-to-reel magnetic tape recordings, 8-track tape cartridges, and cassette tapes. Most recently, audio compact discs have added yet another improvement to the array of audio storage media available to the consumer.
The Inventors are aware of the following prior art patents:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,710 issued to Hughes in 1976 for "Coin-Operated Recording Machine".
2. U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,045 issued to Sheehan in 1979 for "Random Selection Control System For Recording Tape Cartridges".
3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,220 issued to Brown et al. in 1980 for "Tape Recording System".
4. U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,135 issued to Dil et al. in 1982 for "Optical Record Carrier And Apparatus For Reading It."
5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,338 issued to Yamamoto et al. in 1982 for "Duplicator".
6. U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,643 issued to Freeny, Jr. in 1985 for "System For Reproducing Information In Material Objects At A Point Of Sale Location".
7. U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,058 issued to Izumi et al. in 1986 for "Cartridge Programming System".
8. German Offenlegungsschrift 26 25 695 issued to Schubert for "Magnetic Tape Automatic Copier".
9. Japanese Pat. 56-83846 (A) issued to Tanaka for "Duplicator Device And Its Method".
. United Kingdom Patent Application 2 013 865 A applied for by Massari for "System for the Production of Tape Cassettes, Cartridges or the Like".
11. U.S. Pat. No. 3,083,269 issued to Gaubert in 1963 for "Programmed Tape Apparatus".
12. U.S. Pat. No. 3,243,780 issued to Bendick et al. in 1966 for "Random Access Storage And Delivery Device".
13. U.S. Pat. No. 3,518,645 issued to Leinberger et al. in 1970 for "Random Access Data Storage".
14. U.S. Pat. No. 3,620,476 issued to Cervantes in 1971 for "Cassette Duplicator".
15. U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,949 issued to Pyles in 1971 for "Cartridge Changer With Cartridge Sensing Means".
16. U.S. Pat. No. 3,854,660 issued to Henegar in 1974 for "Control System For Multiple Tape Readers In An N/C System". 17. German Auslegeschrift 2,047,386 issued 1973 for "Tape Recorder".
18. German Offenlegungsschrift 2,400,864 issued in 1974 for "Fully Automatic Magnetic Tape Cassette Reproducer".
19. German Offenlegungsschrift 2,255,371 issued in 1973 for "Automatic Articles Storage And Retrieval".
20. IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin (Vol. 6, No. 9, February, 1964).
21. "Cartridge Library System" (Research Disclosure June 1984, No. 242).
22. IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin (Vol. 25, No. 10, March, 1983).
23. IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin (Vol. 8, No. 3, August, 1965).
The above prior art references are discussed more extensively in the Information Disclosure Statement filed concurrently with this application.
The present inventors are also the inventors of presently Co-Pending Patent Application Serial No. 06/804,803 filed Dec. 04, 1985 and presently entitled "1K Entertainment Center".
Notwithstanding these technologies, there is a certain rigidness in availability of selections to an individual consumer. The consumer must purchase a pre-recorded album which naturally includes pre-selected tracks chosen by the album producer. Often, a consumer would have chosen different tracks, if he had been able to. Current recording technology does not readily allow a consumer to choose exactly the selections he would like to store on a record or tape. In addition, the particular novel method by which the huge selection of prerecorded music is conveniently stored in a compressed form for use with the present invention is not disclosed or made obvious by the known prior art.
Therefore, a significant need exists for an apparatus that will allow a consumer to select the specific songs or musical pieces that he wants to have on a particular tape, and will allow him to choose the order of those selections.